The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast

@backpagepod.bsky.social

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A video games podcast by @mrbasil_pesto and @samuelwroberts. New episode every Friday. Patreon.com/backpagepod if you'd like to support us. Email: backpagegames@gmail.com, Discord: http://discord.gg/nEdhNnZxXg.

Games Court (scattered boos) – July 3rd What We've Been Playing (An upcoming big game we can't talk about yet, Star Fox, some indie games Matthew's been playing out of GTA hype guilt) – July 10th XL Episode: Eventide Island Discs – July 14th The Best Games of 1997 – July 17th Mailbag – July 24th XXL Episode: Two Giant Men Watch The Odyssey – July 27th How to Make a Sequel to a Successful Video Game (with Jay Baylis) – July 31st
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Single-player shooter Multiplayer shooter Sim (including immersive sim) Game with emphasis on movement or platforming Narrative or horror game Game from the last 5 years RPG Free pick Wild card (has to be below 80 on Metacritic) Game with notable first-person animations (either involving your hands or the faces of other characters)
We're going to trial something for the XXL episodes in August: a quarterly (if the first one is well received) Bond rewatch series, beginning with Dr. No. Each one will feature fun categories like 'which bit of this would you make into a video game level?', 'most problematic moment', or 'would another Bond make this film better?' As well as some light info on the making of each one. Well aware we did that treasured Bond episode 4 years ago but First Light has given me the appetite for it – and Matthew politely lets me drag him along on any old bullshit. If it feels like we're repeating ourselves, we'll call it a failed experiment and move on.
No therapy allowed, only podcasts
A magazine letters page that discusses the possibility of the PC Gamer podcast returning. There are no plans at present, but they do recommend our podcast, The Back Page.
What We've Been Playing (007 First Light, Pragmata, Titanium Court, Replaced) – Out now Week off – May 8th (XL Episode) PlayStation Top 50 Part 2 – May 11th N64 + GameCube Mega Draft (with Dave Scarborough and Ashley Day) – May 15th Mailbag – May 22nd (XXL Episode) Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies – May 25th Two Giant Men Play 007 First Light – May 29th
Gamecube plus N64 Draft calendar invite
A maximum of 4 games per platform to keep things mixed up No kill or steal this time. They'll be back next month. Remaster or revival Shooter Episodic game Multiplayer Puzzle Platformer Indie game (with guff huffer energy) Guilty pleasure Free pick Wild card
a big tournament chart of unreadable playstation game names
Mailbag – April 3rd Game Design Crimes (with Jamie Smith) – April 10th XL Episode: PlayStation Top 50 Part 1 – April 13th What We've Been Playing (Returnal, Pragmata, Crimson Desert, Raccoin, Marathon) – April 17th The PSN, XBLA, DSiWare and WiiWare Draft – April 24th XXL Episode: Film Swap – Time Travel Special: Looper (2012) and Timecrimes (2007) – April 27th
What We've Been Playing (Reanimal, Romeo is a Dead Man, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, Yakuza Kiwami 3, Marathon, Pokémon LeafGreen, that Hitler auction game Matthew was playing) – March 6th Becoming Pals With Hideki Kamiya and Other Stories (with Andy Robinson) – March 13th XL Episode: 50 More Fundamental Truths About Games Journalism – March 16th The Best Games of 2018 – March 20th Unsung Aspects of Video Game Design (with Emma Kent) – March 27th XXL Episode: Two Giant Men Watch The Trip – March 30th
1. Opening level 2. Ox-patting or narrative level 3. Best location and place you'd move your family to in real life 4. In-game bar or restaurant 5. Vehicle section 6. Stealth level 7. Final boss 8. Minigame (doesn't have to be part of main narrative) 9. Hub 10. Area of an RPG or open world game
1. First-person shooter level (singleplayer) Samuel: The Covenant AKA Two Scarabs (Halo 3) Ash: The opening level (Prey 2006) Dave: All Ghillied Up (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) Matthew: Fort Frolic (BioShock) 2. First-person shooter level (multiplayer) Samuel: Facing Worlds (Unreal Tournament) Ash: Blood Gulch (Halo: Combat Evolved) Dave: de_dust2 (Counter-Strike) Matthew: Facility (GoldenEye) 3. Lightgun stage Samuel: Mission 3: The Jungle Break (Ghost Squad) Ash: Falling Leaf (Point Blank) Dave: The first T-Rex chase (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) Matthew: Raccoon City Police Department (Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles) 4. Multiplayer level (can't be an FPS) Samuel: Rainbow Road (Mario Kart World) Ash: Blue Sky Area (Power Stone 2) Dave: Toad's Turnpike (Mario Kart 64) Matthew: Temple (Super Smash Bros Melee) 5. Platforming level Samuel: The Shard (Mirror's Edge) Ash: Peach's Castle (Super Mario 64) Dave: Freeze Flame Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy) Matthew: Bowser's Kingdom (Super Mario Odyssey) 6. Mission in an open world or larger game Samuel: The Big Score (Grand Theft Auto 5) Ash: Anju and Kafei (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) Dave: The Forest Temple (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) Matthew: Dead Man's Party (The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone) 7. Bonus level Samuel: Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog) Ash: Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) Dave: Car Smash (Street Fighter II) Matthew: Collapsing Star (Split Fiction) 8. Boss battle Samuel: The End (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) Ash: The Mean Bean Machine Robotnik Battle (Sonic Mania) Dave: Ornstein and Smough (Dark Souls) Matthew: The Stranger (God of War 2018) 9. Worst level and location I'd doom my worst enemy to live in  Samuel: The Bevelle Temple Cloister of Trials (Final Fantasy X) Ash: Queuing for the toilet with an onion (PaRappa the Rapper) Dave: The house from PT (PT) Matthew: Dead baby nightmare (Max Payne) 10. Free pick Samuel: The Clockwork Mansion (Dishonore…
First-person shooter level (singleplayer) First-person shooter level (multiplayer) Lightgun stage Multiplayer level (can't be an fps) Platforming level Mission in an open world or larger game Bonus level Boss battle Worst level and location I'd doom my worst enemy to live in Free pick
Writing the Book on Nintendo (with Keza MacDonald) – February 6th XL Episode: Two Giant Men Play Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned + The Ballad of Gay Tony – February 9th The Best Levels Draft (with Ashley Day and Dave Scarborough) – February 13th Somehow, Games Court Returned – February 20th XXL Episode: Two Giant Men Rank The 2026 Oscar Best Picture Nominees + Our Alternative Movie Awards – February 23rd Two Giant Men Play Resident Evil: Requiem – February 27th
Photoshopped artwork of Grand Theft Auto IV with the three heads of the Back Page hosts